A Discussion of Different Media Options for Transmission

The Jane Austen letter could potentially be transmitted through a myriad of ways. In thinking about how this letter can be transmitted into the future, it is important to think of what technologies will be most prevalent in whatever future we imagine.

Because we are, in fact, going to the future, the first instinct may be to transmit this text digitally. In that sense, one can think of existing ways documents such as a letter could be read and spread. The technology that comes most easily to mind is simply just scanning both sides of the letter and uploading them as a single PDF online. This PDF would be available in an open-access format, meaning that pretty much anyone could access this document by doing a simple search. A couple of factors would overall determine how effective this digital method could be in transmission, namely the accessibility factor. If the title of the document itself (at least in terms of what gets uploaded) is too complicated, then the document is not actually likely to show up in search results; conversely, if the title is too vague, then readers may just as easily find this letter as well as another. Additionally, if someone loses access to computers, or if Google search as we know it stops existing, then we will be at a loss for being able to access this document. This specific point gets more into the issue of longevity—as much as we as readers may be able to rely on digital transmission, once the medium itself gets taken away, we run the risk of losing the text as a result of putting too much faith in the longevity of our medium.

Alternatively, this text could be transmitted as it originally stands—a sheet of paper, double sided, with manuscript on basically every corner of the page. While this method of transmission has its shortcomings—fragility of the sheet of paper, plus restrictions to who can view the material (in part because of said fragility), overall lack of dissemination of this text due to restrictions—this method of transmission is ultimately more beneficial for the purposes of long-term transmission. One of the reasons has to do with the paper itself; the fact that this letter can be folded up in itself becomes more important when one is able to view how these parts actually fold. (This ends up being lost in the digital version, as you can see where the paper would be folded, but you cannot actually see how it folds.) With care, this sheet of paper can maintain all of the original features that make it valuable besides just the words on the page. Although the paper is fragile, and degradation of the paper can hinder its longevity, the continued existence of the paper ensures that the text will be accessible no matter what happens to future technology. Additionally, in an aesthetic sense, it makes more sense to transmit a letter in the original print form--otherwise, it loses part of what makes it special. In terms of accessibility, this future transmission can be made accessible by having the text stored in a museum-like setting on display, or by entrusting it to the care of a curator who is qualified to handle it and show it to others without destroying it.